Blood and Gold
by YourFavoriteCONTRACTOR
Summary: While on a solo, late night patrol, Ladybug discovers something about her "Sunshine Child" classmate that is more sinister than she could have expected. She flees the scene and finds comfort and a new understanding through her partner Chat Noir. Vampire Au
1. Discovery

He was like sunshine itself; a bright golden boy lighting up the day with a smile and a laugh like an angelic choir. He seemed to glow in the dark, and in the sun he was positively too radiant. It was like looking at the sun; he was glorious, but you couldn't look at him for too long.

Marinette had put him on a pedestal; he was perfection, the man of her dreams, polite, sincere, smart, funny, and attractive. Even his name was perfect; rolling off the tongue and sounding civilized and refined; _Adrien Agreste_.

It wasn't until much later that Marinette discovered Adrien was far from perfect; in fact he was a monster. A literal blood-sucking monster, no one else seemed to notice, no one else seemed to realize that Adrien Agreste… was a Vampire.

The day had started innocently enough. Adrien perhaps had seemed more tired than usual, he smile a bit forced and tight, while dark bags rested under his eyes, hidden by makeup. He still laughed at Nino's jokes and had diligently taken notes. Marinette had shyly returned his smile before slipping into her seat; Adrien had been invited to lunch, which he had politely declined on grounds of his diet. They had waved goodbye as his driver took him home and everything had seemed to be normal.

That was until Marinette went on her usual patrol. It was Chat's night off, and Marinette had transformed into Ladybug and was searching the area. She had glimpsed a flash of golden hair headed down an alley and had followed him. She'd recognize his hair anywhere. He was with another girl, and Ladybug paused hesitating, wondering if she was intruding on Adrien's secret date. She froze as Adrien gently tilted the girl's head to the side.

"Are you sure about this?" he whispered, Ladybug blushed, but found herself frozen, unable to look away from the scene unfolding beneath her.

"Y-Yes… Yes, I'm sure… I want to help you." The girl assured. Adrien's smile seemed slightly sad as he surveyed her.

"If you're sure then… you do know you won't remember when you wake up?" He asked quietly.

"If I can be helpful to you, I want to be, even if I won't remember." The girl replied, her expression showed confidence but her voice trembled with fear.

"It'll only hurt for a little while." Adrien whispered, Ladybug barely caught his words and her face promptly turned bright red. She immediately assumed Adrien was about to have sex with this girl in the alley. She forced herself to take a step back, but then she saw it. Adrien's perfect smile wasn't so perfect anymore. Long, deadly looking fangs protruded from his mouth as he bit into the girl's neck. She gave a small yelp of surprise before her eyes glazed over and she moaned softly. Adrien supported her gently, she could see him swallowing, a small trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth and rolled down the girl's neck. Ladybug, covered her mouth to stop the shout of surprise, but couldn't stop the sharp inhale of breath. Adrien looked up, his mouth disconnecting from the girls neck, he saw her and his eyes immediately went wide, his mouth in a small O of surprise. Under other circumstances she might have thought the expression was adorable, but now she was just horrified. Blood coated his lips, fangs were still visible in his mouth and the girl was slumped in his arms appearing drugged.

"Ladybug…" Adrien's voice sounded broken, and his brow furrowed as he stared at her. "Let me explain." He took a step toward the building on whose roof she was currently standing. She re-assembled her horrified expression into a blank one and turned to leave. She ran as far as she could as fast as she could, leaving Adrien and the girl behind.

She landed on Notre Dame and ran a hand through her hair. It couldn't be real, Adrien, perfect, sweet, kindly Adrien couldn't be a monster. She hadn't even believed in Vampires before she saw him in the alley. She'd heard rumors, but had assumed that they didn't really exist, that they were just urban legends, and even if they were real, she had never thought she'd meet one, let alone that perfect, golden, sunshine child Adrien would be one.

She shivered as she thought back to Adrien's fangs, about his beautiful face stained with blood and then to the broken voice he'd used when he'd been caught. She swallowed, she didn't know how to deal with her discovery, she wanted to cry, to scream, to find the biggest cross she could and bring it to school with her the next day. How could she face him knowing he was Vampire? That Adrien Agreste was a Vampire.

Ladybug wrapped her arms around herself and stared out over the city. A soft landing next to her alerted her to the presence of Chat Noir.

"My Lady?" He asked, his voice hesitant. Ladybug nearly jumped out of her skin, she slipped from the roof and Chat grabbed her arm in time to keep her from splatting against the sidewalk.

"Chat?" She asked softly. Chat's expression was pained as he gently pulled her back onto the roof.

"What's wrong? You're usually not this out of it… did something happen?" He asked, his brow furrowed with worry, and another unrecognizable expression on his face.

"Yeah…" Ladybug said, she laughed and shook her head. "Yes… something happened… I just…" She laughed again and Chat's frown deepened. "I think… I think my entire world has been flipped upside down." She breathed. Chat pulled her gently to sit next to him, she laughed again not sure what was so funny about Adrien being a Vampire, but eventually the laugh turned to sobs as she buried her face into Chat's chest. He held her and rubbed small circles into her back. He didn't speak, but just let her cry.

Ladybug wasn't sure why she was crying, she didn't know what else to do. She was confused, slightly terrified, she felt lied to, she felt cheated, she felt lost and inexplicably angry. She held onto Chat as she cried, eventually the tears stopped and she laid against him enjoying his warmth and listening to his heartbeat. It was slow and stead and it calmed her down.

"Do you want to talk about it." He asked softly once here sobs and slowed into quiet hiccups.

"No." She decided. It wasn't her place to tell Chat that Adrien was a Vampire. Even if he was a blood-sucking monster, it wasn't her secret to tell. She let out a small sob.

"Are you sure, I'm a wonderful listener." He coaxed quietly. Ladybug was quiet for a while, maybe she could tell him something, as long as she didn't say point blank that it was _Adrien_ who was the Vampire, maybe she could confide in Chat. She took a deep breath and steadied herself.

"I… I found out something… something about a friend of mine… something I probably shouldn't know." She whispered. Chat froze for a second then took a deep breath.

"Go on." He prompted gently. Ladybug nodded.

"He… he's a Vampire, Chat! A _Vampire_! I didn't even believe in Vampires before today… gods… what am I going to do? I have to face him tomorrow? How can I face him knowing he's a monster!" Ladybug sobbed. Chat took a shaky breath and was quiet for a while, gently rubbing Ladybug's back as they sat and looked out over Paris.

"Monster?" Chat chuckled softly, sounding sad. "Yeah… I guess most people would see it that way." He sighed. Ladybug frowned and pulled away.

"What do you mean?" she accused; Chat gave her a small fanged grin before he looked away, looking over the skyline.

"Well… Vampires drink human blood to survive right? Sounds scary and monstrous… but honestly who knows if they enjoy it? Maybe it's like taking vitamins or… I don't know, eating your vegetables. It's something they have to do to stay alive." He reasoned. "Maybe it tastes good to… after all steaks taste good and humans need to eat to survive… I suppose Vampires need to eat to survive too." He explained. Ladybug nodded slowly, she thought back to Adrien's surprised expression, to the pain in his voice, how he'd tried to explain to her the situation.

"Maybe he doesn't even want to be a Vampire." Chat continued. "Maybe he'd rather be human. Maybe he was born a Vampire and therefore had no more choice in it than you do being human?" Chat pointed out. "Or maybe it was forced on him. I don't know… do you?" He gently nudged her.

"No." She whispered softly. Chat smiled at her again and gave her a small squeeze.

"I'm not saying you have to accept it right away, you're probably still confused and in shock, but just keep those things in mind." He said with an understanding tone. Ladybug sighed.

"You're right…" she closed her eyes and leaned into him slightly. "I still scared… He's a nice guy… or at least he acts like it in public… but…"

"He's still a Vampire and while the guy himself my not scare you, the fact that he's a Vampire does?" Chat offered. Ladybug nodded and Chat gave her another tight hug.

"You're Ladybug! I don't think that guy stands a chance if he decided he wanted to drink your blood I have no doubt that you'd be able to hand his butt to him on a silver platter. You can more than protect yourself." Chat smiled. Ladybug laughed and held close to Chat.

"How do you know that?" she teased. Chat chuckled.

"Well Vampires aren't as supernatural as you might think, especially the younger ones, other than drinking blood and being slightly faster, stronger and having better senses than a normal human they're pretty normal." Chat shrugged. Ladybug frowned and looked up at him.

"How do you know that?" she accused.

"I have my sources." He smiled giving her and eyebrow wiggle as he did so. Ladybug sighed and leaned back, pulling away from him slightly.

"That's suspicious… do you have a friend that is a Vampire?" She wondered. Chat tilted his head to the side.

"Lets just say someone I know very well is one." He allowed. Ladybug frowned but figured that was the best answer she was going to get from him. Chat waited quietly while Ladybug surveyed him.

"Do you… do you mind if I ask you a few questions? That is if you know the answers?" Ladybug asked quietly. Chat nodded with a small grin.

"I'd be happy to." He agreed.

"Can Vampires change humans into Vampires? Like in the movies?" she asked first. Chat chuckled.

"Ah… well… it's not as simple as it is in the moves. The short answer is yes; but it's frowned upon and well… its not always successful so it's not often done." He waved his hand dismissively. Ladybug nodded, she surveyed Chat again curiously.

"How old are Vampires?"

"Depends on the Vampire, they age like humans until they reach about 25-30, then they just age slower." He explained. Ladybug nodded again and thought for a bit before asking the next question.

They sat on Notre Dame for a few hours as Ladybug questioned Chat and Chat seemed to have all the answers. He made a few Vampire puns, but mostly he made cat puns and joked about the situation. Somehow it made Ladybug relax. She found herself thinking back to Adrien and the way he'd looked when she left so abruptly.

"I should find him and apologize." She sighed as she stood to leave.

"Now?" Chat raised an eyebrow, standing up with her.

"Vampires are nocturnal aren't they?" She teased.

"They function better at night, but just like humans can be nocturnal; vampires can be diurnal." Chat smiled. "He's probably in bed right now, unless he's up late watching anime." He joked. Ladybug laughed.

"He doesn't seem like the kind of guy to watch anime." She smiled at Chat. Chat shrugged.

"You never know." He countered.

"You seem like the kind of guy who watches anime." She smiled. Chat held his hand up and placed the other over his heart.

"Guilty as charged." He smiled. "You probably wouldn't be able to tell if you knew the guy under the mask." He chuckled. Ladybug raised her eyebrow.

"I think I'd recognize your puns anywhere." She smiled.

"I don't really pun out of costume, you are the sole beneficiary of my wit." He purred.

"Lucky me." Ladybug rolled her eyes. Chat laughed again and bowed.

"Goodnight, my Lady. I hope I was some help in your crisis." He smiled. Ladybug pulled him into a hug.

"You were, thank you…" she hesitated, "You'd tell me if you were a Vampire right?" she asked softly, Chat froze beneath her then he laughed softly.

"After how you reacted to your friend, if I was a Vampire, I'd say you were better off not knowing." He teased. Ladybug frowned.

"I'd want to know." She insisted. Chat shook his head.

"I don't think you would." He looked away. Ladybug frowned, she had only asked it as a hypothetical question but after seeing his reaction she took a step back, folding her arms.

"Chat…. Chat are you a Vampire?" she asked, her brow furrowed.

"Would your opinion of me change if I was? Besides, I'd rather remain ambiguous about the whole thing including my humanity." He teased with a grin. Ladybug shook her head.

"You're ridiculous." She rolled her eyes.

"Would you love me if I wasn't?" He smiled. Ladybug scoffed.

"I don't love you, at least not romantically, you silly kitty." She smiled kindly at him. Chat's smile was sadder.

"I know." He crossed his arms behind his head and tilted his head curiously at her. "You should get some sleep; I'm pretty sure you're _not_ a Vampire, and therefore function best during the day."

"What about you?" Ladybug accused with a raised eyebrow.

"Cats are nocturnal." He quipped. "I should be getting to bed though. I have school in the morning. Ladybug nodded, her expression turning serious.

"Goodnight Chat." She waved.

"Goodnight, My Lady." Chat smiled as they parted.


	2. Discussion

_**A/N: I decided to post one more chapter of this after all of the support I received on the first chapter; mainly on AO3. I hope it brings a bit of a resolution to the first chapter, wrapping things up more and hopefully providing a good resolution and believable discussion between the two. Let me know if you want more. :D**_

 _ **I honestly respond to reviews more than likes or favorites etc, so letting me know what you think of the story is appurrricated.**_

* * *

Adrien was still awake when Ladybug landed on his windowsill, he was sitting on the bed and writing a paper, his lights were on, and she could see him clearly and he frowned at his laptop. There was a lump in her throat as she tried to think of a way to apologize, to even start a conversation with him.  
 _So you're a vampire… that's cool?_ She smacked her forehead as she thought it. _What a stupid way to start a conversation._ She groaned.

"Hey." Adrien was suddenly by the window, the panel near her opened.

"Waa-aaaggh!" She began to fall backwards, but Adrien quickly caught her arm, holding her firmly, but gently, and bringing her back to safety.

"Easy now…" He chuckled, gentleness in his eyes while he looked at her. Then he swallowed too, pain etched into his face. "I… I wasn't expecting to see you again." He whispered, fear in his voice. He let go of her and took a step back.

"I wasn't either… but a friend advised me not to jump to conclusions or make assumptions about something I didn't understand." She admitted.

"I would like to thank your friend then." He smiled softly, it didn't quite reach his eyes; there was still too much fear and pain in them. Ladybug took a deep breath as she looked at him, still the same Adrien, but she kept imagining blood on his face and she had to look away.

"I… Uh… may I come in?" She whispered. Adrien stepped to the side, allowing her in through the window. He was silent, wary of her, confused too; she could see all of that in his stance.

"I'm flattered that you've decided to visit me… but I… well I also have to wonder if you're not here to add the title of 'Vampire Slayer' to your already impressive resume." There was a teasing lit to his voice, but an undercurrent of real fear. It broke her heart.

"Adrien…" She said softly, it pained her to have made him so afraid. He looked up at her as she said his name, so she continued, "I came to apologize… when I caught you in the alley… too many things went through my mind… and there was blood on your face… I panicked." She admitted.

"I mean… That's reasonable… as far as I know you're only human." The sentence was meant to be teasing, but his voice came out in a monotone as he looked away again; this time it was shame she read across his face.

"Adrien… no, that's no what… I'm…. I came to apologize, for treating you like a monster…" She whispered. He turned his face back toward her.

"I understand you taking it that way…" He looked away again, his eyes filled with involuntary tears. "That doesn't mean it didn't hurt." He took a deep breath and blinked the tears away. "Apology accepted." He said as he turned back to his bed, and his abandoned laptop, refusing to look at her.

"Adrien…" Ladybug took a step forward. Adrien looked up at her and gave her a small forced smile.

"Ladybug, I appreciate your self realization, and I know this must be hard for you, it's world shattering news. You don't know how much it means to me that you came here, tonight, even after what you saw earlier this evening, to come apologize." His smile was genuine for a small moment, but then he swallowed again. "But Ladybug, right now, I would very much like to be alone. Thank you, again, for your apology, and I do accept it, not only that, but I cherish it. Its just… like you probably can't get the image of me drinking that girl's blood out of your head… I can't get the image of you looking at me with horrified disgust out of mine." He swallowed and looked away. "I really don't mean to be rude… but… I guess that look hurt me more than I thought… and now that you're here, I keep waiting for you to look at me like that again." He ended, now staring at his hands. Ladybug nodded slowly.

"I… that's fair." She agreed. "I'll… I'll come back..." She bowed out, fleeing into the night and going home. She landed on her bed as she came in through the skylight; detransforming as she flopped onto her pillows. She let out a long sigh and buried her face into her pillow.

"Tikki… what am I going to do? I think I really hurt him." She mumbled. Tikki sighed and turned to look at Marinette.

"I think giving him some space is the best thing you can do for him right now; but I also think you will need to talk to him about this later, for both of your sakes." She advised. Marinette turned over and looked at the ceiling.

"I know that you're right… now the other big question is… do I let Adrien know that I know… that me, as Marinette knows?" She wondered. Tikki was quiet for a while before shaking her head.

"For now, the best course of action is to keep it a secret that the Marinette side of you knows as well… he might put it together that you're Ladybug if he realizes that you and Ladybug found out at the same time. It's best to be safe for now." Tikki nodded to her self. Marinette sighed again; heavier this time.

"What am I going to do about school tomorrow, I'll have to see him then." She groaned. "I don't want to lie to him! Even if I don't tell him that I know… what if he senses that something is up?"

"Marinette, you don't talk to him much as it is, he'll probably think that it's your usual antics." Tikki pointed out. Marinette had to admit she was right; she never thought her ineptitude to talk to Adrien would ever work in her favor. Maybe Alya would notice something different, but she could probably play it off as nervousness. That wasn't a complete lie; she was nervous, very nervous.

Now that she was alone and didn't have Chat's reassurances and goofy grins; her thoughts began to wander to dark places. All of the terrible things she had ever heard about vampires began to haunt her, and while, logically, she could never imagine Adrien doing any of them; she still feared that he would. She knew it was her imagination getting carried away, but she continued to come up with more and more unpleasant scenarios until drifting into an uneasy sleep filled with nightmares.

* * *

Marinette had arrived at school the next morning, hesitantly looking around for Adrien. He stood at the top of the stairs with Nino, talking with him and laughing at a story Nino was telling. He noticed her and waved, she froze up, but Adrien didn't seem to notice, he just gave her a small smile and went back to his conversation.

Marinette snuck past him and sighed in relief, as she made it to the classroom without drawing his attention.

As he entered she watched him closely, but secretively, trying to determine if he did anything that would give him away as a vampire. He continued to chat with Nino, smiling and going to his seat, turning so that they faced each other to talk.

Marinette scrutinized his face, looking for signs of fangs in his perfect smile; there was nothing, he was the same Adrien as always. Alya came in and raised an eyebrow as she noticed Marinette staring.

"Mari, you might want to dial back the death stare, you're making Adrien uncomfortable." She teased, Marinette jumped, sure enough Adrien was glancing up at her nervously, concern on his face, and something like embarrassment. She quickly looked away, focusing on her hands instead and blushing. Alya and Nino laughed. Adrien cast a sympathetic look at Marinette before finishing his story with Nino.

Marinette didn't look at Adrien for the rest of the class period, always feeling awkward when she accidentally caught his eye, quickly looking away from him.

At the end of the day Adrien smiled and waved politely to them before getting into the car and leaving.

Marinette looked down at the sidewalk, refusing to wave back and blushing furiously, ashamed at her reaction. Alya rolled her eyes.

"Girl, you need to be more outgoing around Adrien… unless he did something wrong and that why you were glaring daggers at him this morning?" Alya frowned, ready to defend Marinette's honor.

"No… its just… I'm conflicted about my feelings lately… I just need time." She insisted, not lying but not being entirely truthful. She sighed and shook her head. "I just need to get some fresh air and a new perspective on the whole thing." She insisted before heading home; she couldn't wait for night fall, there was someone she needed to talk to.

* * *

Chat was as predictable as ever, lounging on the Eiffel Tower and waiting for her to show up to patrol. He smiled as she approached and Ladybug took a long look at the fangs in his mouth. His smile slowly faded and his brow furrowed.

"Hey… what's wrong?" he sat up as she looked at him.

"Are you a vampire?" She asked again. Chat sighed and stood up.

"Ladybug? Something tells me that's a question you really don't want me to answer." He put his hands on her shoulders. "The fangs I have now are a by product of being Chat Noir, they aren't as long or as sharp as a vampire's fangs… I'm sorry if they make you uncomfortable now, I could speak with my Kwami about removing them… but they also serve as a last line of defense, even if they aren't as impressive as a vampire's they'd still hurt if I bit you."

Ladybug drew in a shuddering breath and covered her face.

"Yes… no… I… I shouldn't have asked that." She mumbled.

"If you really wanted to know, I wouldn't mind telling you, but you're the one who wanted to keep our identities a secret." He pointed out gently. She nodded again, then looked up at him.

"You'd really tell me?" she asked softly.

"My Lady, I have wanted to tell you who I am since day one." He smiled kindly at her. "But I can tell you're not ready, especially when you're having this crisis with your vampiric friend."

"You know me too well Chaton." She smiled at him. "I can't get Ad- my friend out of my head… I don't know what to do… my imagination keep getting out of hand… I have more questions."

"I am happy to answer them… but I will ask you this… are you afraid of your asking your friend these questions? Surely he could assist you more than I, as much as I am enjoying your attention." He teased, leaning closer to her. She gently pushed him away by the nose.

"I… probably, but I'm still too… scared maybe? To ask him… I'm afraid of offending him." She admitted.

"It might be good for you… but I can see where some questions you might have would come off as insensitive." He nodded, "I'll make you a deal, we can go on patrol, and you can ask me as many questions as you'd like, but I reserve the right not to answer; and those are the questions you have to go ask your friend."

Ladybug hesitated, that seemed like a good deal actually, Chat could answer all the questions she felt would be too offensive to ask Adrien, and she could go to Adrien for more general answer, plus it might be a good way to get used to him; to normalize him being a vampire.

"Okay… you have a deal." Ladybug nodded. Chat smiled.

"Then lets begin." He agreed and began running across the Paris rooftops, Ladybug followed quickly. She asked a barrage of questions. How do vampires hide their fangs? Do they have magic powers? How do vampires make babies? How close are they to humans? How were they created? How many vampires were out there in the world?

Chat answered most of the questions, their fangs grew by magic, yes they did have some magic, the older they were the more power they had, a young vampire like Adrien wouldn't be as powerful, if she wanted to know more about their powers, she'd have to as Adrien. Vampires made babies by having sex, that was it, the same as humans were made. Vampires that had sex with humans didn't make half-vampire babies, they were just vampire babies, and they weren't of a 'diluted bloodline' as Chat had put it, they would be 100% vampire.

Vampires were about 80% similar to humans, most of the differences were in the magic and the drinking blood. He told her that the vampire 'creation story' was something she'd have to ask Adrien for. Chat also didn't know how many vampires were out in the world. The only people who knew that for sure was some sort of council, she would have to ask Adrien about this council too.

They came to rest at the top of the Eiffel Tower again as their patrol ended, Chat kissed her knuckled and bowed deeply to her.

"I hope that our night didn't _suck_ , too me it was _bloody puurrrfection_." He teased. Ladybug laughed, then waved him off.

"Go home you silly cat." She smiled. "And no more vampire puns!"

"Of course, I hope I was able to ease some of your worries. Besides, my puns are _pawsome_." He bowed his head to her before turning. "Till the next time, My Lady." He winked before he disappeared over the horizon. Ladybug giggled and sighed, she debated on whether or not to visit Adrien again, perhaps he wouldn't want to see her again. He'd said he needed time to process her betrayal, he hadn't said it like that but he might as well have. She sighed and glanced in the direction of Adrien's house, hesitating to go see him.

She found herself watching him from across the street, he was pacing in his room as he was practicing his Chinese, reading from a paper, slowly and muttering to himself.

After a while he moved to the window, opening it and then going back to his Chinese lesson. Ladybug froze wondering if he'd spotted her, if he could hear her or if he just wanted to open a window. Would he transform into a bat and fly out? That was a question she should have asked Chat when she had a chance. She stared at him, and he finally put his papers down, seemingly finished. He then looked right at her and she nearly stumbled back. He chuckled and waved at her, then gestured to the open window. Ladybug slowly nodded before she swung across the street and into his room, landing quietly inside.

"How… how did you know I was out there?" She whispered.

"Ladybug, you're wearing a bright red suit, and it's not completely dark yet." He pointed out with a small smile. "Though… I admit I have better vision that a human, you're also not very subtle." He teased. Ladybug, laughed, his smile had a way of putting her at ease.

"Are you… do you feel better?" she asked quietly. Adrien nodded and sat on the couch, he gestured for her to sit next to him.

"Mostly… I mean…" He sighed and looked over her, "I can never seem to stay upset for long… I'm just a little shaken up, but I still realize that you must be too." He smiled. "How are you doing about all of this… about me being a vampire?"

"Vampire… right… yes… I don't know." She sighed. "It's all so confusing… how come the sun doesn't burn you?" she blurted out, also something she realized she could have asked Chat earlier in the night.

"I… I'm well fed." He admitted with a blush. "Its more of a slight nuisance than anything else as long as I eat regularly." He sighed and looked outside. "Plus… I don't know… I like the sun, as long as I'm not out in it too long, and I'm talking more than 10 hours straight, Its nice… it's warm and comforting." He smiled, then turned to look at her. "And before you ask, the blood I receive is donated, no one is hurt, or there are volunteers; like the girl from the other night." He replied.

"Volunteers?" she frowned.

"Sometimes… people who know about me, or at least about my kind, they will volunteer their blood to us, there are some of them who want to be bitten, I've been told it's not unpleasant." He nodded. Ladybug made a face and Adrien looked away ashamed.

"No! Not you, it's just… I mean it sounds painful." She explained.

"The initial bite is more like a small sting, or so I've heard… it's the effects of the bite that some of them are after. It makes them feel euphoric, or high. It can also cause a bit of amnesia, most of the time they don't actually remember being fed on, they just remember the high." He explained.

"So that's what you meant by the girl not remembering anything." Ladybug nodded.

"Yes, she still knows I'm a vampire, and she still knows that I fed on her, but she doesn't remember it, the actual feeding." He looked away, shame crossing his face again. Ladybug nodded quietly, she surveyed him, she wanted to comfort him, but at the same time, she could still feel a bit of disgust at the thought of drinking human blood to survive. Adrien stared at the window until Ladybug spoke again.

"I… I have some questions if you don't mind me asking?" she asked softly. Adrien turned to look at her.

"I will try and answer to the best of my ability." He agreed.

"What… what kind of powers do you have?" She whispered. Adrien took a breath and sighed.

"I… well not many actually… I guess I see well at night, but I would call that part of my biology, not really a power… I'm faster than most humans, but I wouldn't call it supernaturally fast, stronger that most humans, but probably still weaker than the Gorilla… he's my body guard, I call him that because he sort of looks like a Gorilla." He chuckled before he became serious again. "I guess that I'm also a bit sturdier and I heal faster than a human, and sometimes I can kind of hypnotize people… It's not perfect; it's more like charming them I suppose. I ask them to do something and they do it. I never really use it, unless it's necessary… but it's usually not."

Ladybug froze, he could ask people to do something and they would just do it? He could ask someone to jump off a bridge and they'd do it, or ask her to let him bite her and she'd do it?

"Ladybug?" He asked, his brow furrowed with worry. He reached out to touch her, she flinched and he drew back. "It's not absolute you know… I couldn't talk someone into doing something they absolutely wouldn't do… and I wouldn't want to, even if I could. If I could do that, I'd probably talk Chloe into being nicer, but I actually probably wouldn't, even if I could. It's not like I can tell people to do something and they do it without question, it just… it's hard to explain… it's like making them more open to my suggestion, but if they don't want to do it, they wont." He elaborated. Ladybug nodded slowly.

"So… you couldn't tell me to take off my mask, and I'd just do it?" she whispered.

"No, you wouldn't, you might think about it more than just saying no, but you wouldn't, unless you really wanted to take of your mask and show me who you are." He reassured. She let out a breath and stared at him for a while, looking over his face with something like nostalgia. Adrien was quiet, staring back at her as well, waiting for her to speak. They sat like that for a while before Ladybug spoke again.

"You can be hurt." She stated.

"All living things can be hurt." He nodded. "I'm not undead, I was born, and I will die, it might be after a longer period than most humans, but I will still die." He nodded.

"Your parents are vampires?" she whispered.

"My mother was." He looked away sadly. "She was a vampire… but my father… he's human. I realize that he probably doesn't know what to do with me, since he doesn't really know what I am… he can't relate to it. My mother had this way of helping him understand, helping him realize and accept our differences. She had a way of explaining things to him that made him understand everything… She had a way of making me feel less like a freak. She made me feel normal… and I wasn't ever ashamed of being like this." He drew away from her, pulling his knees to his chest. "Then she disappeared and left me alone in this world of humans." He looked away from Ladybug realizing that she probably was human, and that she probably couldn't relate to what he was saying.

"Anyway…" he coughed and tried to pretend that he hadn't said that. "I don't have any other family on my mother's side in the area, and I don't want to leave my father alone… So I guess I'll stay here…" he shrugged. Ladybug nodded, she wanted to comfort him, but wasn't sure how.

"Did you have any more questions?" He asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yes… a few… but I can stop now if you'd like." She assured. Adrien shrugged, giving her a small smile.  
"I'm used to people prying into my life, even if I'm a vampire, I'm still a famous model." He reminded. "I don't mind, especially if it puts your mind more at ease." He smiled kindly at her. Ladybug nodded and shook her head looking out of the window and away from him.

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable, even if it does satisfy my curiosity." She explained. Adrien watched her for a while before looking out of the window too.

"I'm not a killer." He whispered. "I try not to hurt people, I try to help them when I can. I'm not a bad person, vampire or human, my mom always told me it was a persons actions that defined them, not their origin." He sighed and looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry if I scare you, I truly don't mean to, it breaks my heart to know that I do." He sighed. Ladybug looked over at him, and gave him a small smile.

"It's… it's okay. I reacted rashly too, I can jump to conclusions easily and I get easily riled up sometimes." She put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry." Adrien looked up at her, smiling softly.

"Thank you… I appreciate your kind words." He smiled at her. "If you ever have any questions about me, and my kind, feel free to stop by." He smiled. Ladybug chuckled, a feeling of normalcy settling in at last.

"Of course, as long as you don't start making vampire puns." She chuckled.

"Vampire puns?" Adrien raised an eyebrow. "That's a bloody good idea." He laughed. Ladybug rolled her eyes.

"I've had enough vampire puns from Chat, thank you very much." She huffed.

"I take it Chat Noir was the one to convince you that I wasn't an evil blood sucking monster then." He cocked his head to the side. Ladybug sighed and nodded.

"Yes… I mean… I kind of already knew that… but… you're a vampire… and you and vampire just didn't seem to go in the same sentence… when I think vampire I think…"

"Brooding ancient men with widow's peaks and capes?" he offered, "Or perhaps sparkling American vampires with constipated expressions?"

Ladybug laughed and nodded.

"Something like that… And you… you're nothing like either of those." She looked out the window again. "It's been… difficult… trying to wrestle with everything I thought I knew about vampires, and also try to see how you fit into that… but Chat helped me realize that vampires aren't like the ones on TV or in the books or lore… at least as far as cape wearing monsters go." She nodded. Adrien smiled at her and then shook his head.

"Some of it is misinformation spread to make humans feel safer, at least that's how it started… but there are still vampires, especially hundreds of years ago, that would actively hunt humans… there are still some out there… most of us don't hunt humans, and never have. It's very unusual to hear of these days… for some humans we're just the hottest new drug, a new way to get high and leave their troubles behind. We've passed into myth and legend and most humans don't even believe we exist anymore." He glanced over at Ladybug. "As evidenced by your shock upon discovering me." Ladybug nodded as she looked at him, searching his face for a while as they fell into silence. Adrien grew quiet to watching Ladybug as she searched him. After some time she spoke again.

"Can… can I see them?" she asked hesitantly, avoiding eye contact as she did so.

"See what?" Adrien frowned, unsure of what she was asking.

"Your fangs." She explained. Adrien hesitated then shook his head.

"I… I'd rather not… it's… I don't want to scare you away again." He whispered.

"You won't, I promise you won't… I just… I need to see them… so I can make sure it was real and I'm not going crazy." She explained.

"Are you sure?" he looked down at his hands then back up to her for her answer. She nodded slowly.

"I can assure you you're not crazy, and that I really am a vampire… I… I don't know if you really want to see them." He mumbled as he looked away.

"Adrien… I won't run away this time… please…" Ladybug put a hand on his knee. Adrien nodded then slowly opened his mouth, showing her his teeth, at first they looked normal, then his canines began to grow long and sharp. Ladybug watched, transfixed, she wanted to touch them, to make sure they were real. Adrien closed his mouth again and swallowed hesitantly.

"I… do they get in the way?" she asked quietly. Adrien gave her a small fanged smile.

"No… not really… I usually only use them to eat… I don't walk around with them out." He explained. Ladybug nodded, then touched her own mouth hesitantly.

"What is it like? When you feed?" her voice was low still, a hushed tone as if she were whispering a secret. Adrien was quiet, he ran his tongue over his fangs then shook his head slowly.

"I don't know… I guess… I don't know how to explain it to a human." He let his fangs shrink back into normal teeth. "It's… it's a bit like thirst I suppose, you're thirsty, and to me feeding is like drinking a nice cool glass of ice water, and also like having a fine steak." He shook his head. "It's not like that at all… but that's the best human equivalent I can think of right now." He gave her a weak smile, hoping he hadn't scared her off again. Ladybug nodded slowly and took a deep breath.

"You're still just Adrien though… even if you have to drink blood… I suppose you need that as much as I need food… and I'm having a hard time condemning you for it." She gave him a small smile.

"Do you want to condemn me for it?" he asked, his voice quiet and broken.

"I don't know… not really." She sighed. "But I guess a part of me is a bit hung up on the drinking blood part… it's icky to me." She admitted. Adrien laughed softly.

"Of course it's icky to you, you're human, it's not something you'd likely dream of doing. It's… I guess it's a bit like how some humans drink those nasty protein shakes, vile things… but I suppose, it also means more from your perspective… since it is your blood and the blood of your people that keeps me alive." He sighed again. "I… I really want to trust you… and I do but… I also can't help but feel defensive, even though I can see how, from your perspective, this is confusing and frightening." He ran a hand through his hair and down the back of his neck.

"I suppose… It's not confusing and frightening to me, it's just my life… and I can't help but feel defensive of that. Of you calling my way of life, way of survival 'icky' you know…" he explained.

"I didn't mean it that way." Ladybug quickly refuted. Adrien shook his head.

"Maybe you don't, but that's the way it comes out… I'm icky, because I drink blood." He shrugged. "I don't really expect you to accept it, I just kind of hope you'll understand." He stood up. "But, I do have school in the morning, and I suspect you do to, unless you really are 5000 years old like Alya's blog says… but given that you haven't encountered a creature like me before, I suspect not." He smiled kindly at her. Ladybug stood up and nodded.

"You're not a creature Adrien, you're a person, vampire or no." She smiled back. "Thank you… for letting me talk to you, for putting my mind at ease." She climbed onto the window ledge. "Goodnight, Adrien."

"Goodnight, Ladybug." He gave her a quick salute before she swung off again.


End file.
